EXCLUSIVE: “Javed Akhtar sahab advised me not to do Kuch Kuch Hota Hai as he felt the director was ‘weird’ and ‘adamant’,” shares Sameer Anjaan; veteran lyricist also speaks about keeping himself relevant with changing times

Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan recently started his own music label Aumora Music. While talking about it in an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, he also touched upon various aspects about his four-decade-long career in which he has written over 4000 songs.

 

EXCLUSIVE: “Javed Akhtar sahab advised me not to do Kuch Kuch Hota Hai as he felt the director was ‘weird’ and ‘adamant’,” shares Sameer Anjaan; veteran lyricist also speaks about keeping himself relevant with changing times

 

You hold the record of writing over 4000 songs in over 640 movies. How do you look back at such a mammoth career?

 

I am very satisfied. I have no complaints. It’s not that I wasn’t able to do what I wanted. I am the luckiest that I have lived the era of music that will be called golden for centuries to come. It is only the fortunate ones who get to be a part of such an era. Like Bappi Lahiri in the 60s and 70s, in which he did a lot of work. I got a chance to do that in the 90s. I have no complaints. I have got 1000 times more than what I wanted.

 

But we are workaholic. We can’t stay at home. So, I want to continue working. Today, there are so many platforms like YouTube and Spotify that if you know your work, you will survive in this industry.

 

You started your career in the 80s. Right now, we are in 2026 and you are still working. In this period, there has been huge changes in the way music is created. How do you look at this change?

 

You have to change with the changing times. You need to have that capability and you need to be ready for such changes. If you get mental blockage, you won’t be able to change yourself. Then you will become senile and keep thinking, ‘What I did was best, what I wrote was best’ and you will keep on criticizing the present generation; that is not the solution. So, I felt if I am claiming that I can do a better job and write better than the present generation is writing, then why not? Let me prove. Nobody is stopping you. The platform is open for everyone. So, prove yourself.

 

I never felt any discomfort because of the changes. I kept changing. I have worked with four generations. When I worked with Laxmikant Pyarelal and RD Burman, I made efforts to understand them. I heard the works of the writers of that era. I tried writing like them. Then I had my own era. Then came the generation of Himesh Reshammiya and Sajid-Wajid; I merged with them. Then came Sachin-Jigar, Mithoon and Amaal Malik. So, I kept changing myself according to them because I became friends with them and understood them.

 

 

Emotions will never change. The way of expression has changed, new words have come and there has been a mixture of languages. Today, along with Hindi, there is also English, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, etc. So, if you want to identify with them, you need to accept their thinking, else they will reject you. You will realize the change in the process of my writing.

 

Was it challenging to keep yourself relevant in different eras?

 

Definitely, it was very challenging. But you get results only because there is a challenge. Without challenge, it will be very easy. Not just me. Before, (Anand) Bakshi sahab and Majrooh (Sultanpuri) sahab worked for 40 years. I am not the only lyricist who has been active for so long. Even people before me changed themselves. Majrooh sahab wrote ‘Papa Kehte Hain Bada Naam Karega’ at the age of almost 70 years. Bakshi sahab also wrote ‘Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain’. Javed (Akhtar) sahab wrote ‘Dard-e-Disco’ and Gulzar sahab came up with ‘Beedi Jalaile Jigar Se Piya’; you will never expect Gulzar sahab’s writing to show such colours.

 

One film that stands out from your career is Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. As we all know, Javed Akhtar was earlier approached to write its lyrics but he declined because he didn’t like the title. What was your reaction when you got to know that he had rejected the film when you were approached for it?

 

He is a fatherly figure to me. I even spoke to him over the phone. I told him, “Javed sahab, I hope you don’t feel bad because you are senior to me and I came to know that you were supposed to write for this film. I wish to take your permission, so are you writing for it or you aren’t?” He said, “I am not writing it and I would advise you too to not write for it because the director is weird and adamant and he doesn’t listen”. I said I will talk to him later but please tell me if you are doing. He said, “No, I am not at all doing it, Sameer”.

 

 

Then I heard the story and liked it a lot. I didn’t find anything bad in the title. The story was brilliant. And when I connected with the director’s thought process during the two-and-a-half or three-hour narration, I was very much impressed. I felt I should do this film. The star cast was great. Yash (Chopra) ji was also supporting him (Karan). Half of the time, he has grown up at Yash ji’s place. He also did a small role in Aditya (Chopra)’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. And I was called for the film by Yash Chopra, not by Karan Johar. He said that as Javed sahab isn’t writing it, he has only two lyricists – Bakshi sahab and me – and Karan said he doesn’t want to work with a buzurg writer and asked for a young writer. Then Yash ji suggested my name and Karan readily agreed to meet me.

 

That’s how I got the film. I tried doing some good work. It has been declared as the best music of the century. It is a blessing from God.

 

What is your process of writing? Does it keep changing?

 

There is no process as such. I follow the process in which the story takes me. It is very difficult to tell you my process of writing. I keep writing 24 hours. One part of the brain is always into that process. The poetry that I keep writing which is published in books, that has a different colour. In that, I write what I wish to write. Here (in films) I don’t write what I wish to write. I write what the story and character want me to write.

 

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sameer Anjaan says he founded Aumora Music due to “deterioration” of film music currently: “In a lot of films, music is used only as ‘fill in the blanks’”

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